Chapter 23
A/N: Please enjoy and read the author's not at the end of the chapter.
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Kew sat in a chair, twisting her green controller this way and that. Her eyes widened at the screen all in one moment then her finger went up and pointed at her adversary. "Cheater! You messed my controller up! There is no way you could have won fairly!"
"I swear to God, sis! This was a fair game!" Matt said, putting his hands up, palms facing her in a surrendering pose.
"Yeah, is it his fault your complete crap at playing video games?" Mello asked sarcastically, receiving a whack in the head with a pillow, courtesy of the resident cat woman. "Oh, quiet Mello, this is precisely the reason why I refuse to allow you three to do anything more than a surveillance mission with me." Kew countered.
Mello just turned away, taking a giant bite out of his chocolate bar, muttering things under his breath. Kew rolled her eyes, raising herself from the ground, and walking into the next room. She poked her head in, staring through one of the small triple paned windows at the model. "How is she holding up Watari? I feel bad that I am leaving you to take care of her all by yourself," She said, letting herself in, on all fours, as per usual.
"Nonsense, Kat. God knows how much trouble those three would get in should they not have a firm caretaker to reprimand them. I am here to help you and L, it is my job," He said, giving her one of his smiles, one that she constantly saw on fathers when they were around their children.
Did Watari think of L and her as his children? That was plausible. He had this naturally caring…soul? Was that the word? Soul: 1) the complex of human attributes that manifests as consciousness, thought, feeling, and will, regarded as distinct from the physical body. 2) A person's emotional and moral nature, where the most private thoughts and feelings are hidden. 3) The deepest and truest nature of people or a nation, or what gives somebody or something a distinctive character. Yes, it was a good word to describe what she was trying so say.
The man had seen death over and over, and in the stead of becoming a recluse or closing himself, he just used his caring nature and decided to create orphanages while juggling his inventor career. And further more, he went out of his way to save children that were in less than good situations, be them orphans or not, and searched for a better home on behalf of them.
She was one of the ones in a situation like that, what with no one knowing whether her parents were deceased or not. But should she really even give it a thought? What human who gave up there unborn (for that was her situation according to some files) infant to malicious scientists that would alter her very DNA within lengths of killing said child?
"Ah, I cannot retort to that one, they are a handful. Ever since they were toddlers," A sheepish grin came to her features, causing her to look even younger than she already did. "Yet I cannot help but think that they take after L and me in the 'troublemaker' sense."
Her eyes wandered to the little screen that depicted Lawliet speaking to Misa. It was the usual "Stalker" accusations that were being thrown around along with the interrogation questions; nothing new.
BAM! However, thatwas new. She ran full tilt into the other room, unconsciously switching to her cat form mid stride, fur standing on end.
The sight that she saw, however, made her grey ear twitch irritably. Mello, for some reason, was being held back by Matt via a headlock and was missing one of his shoes, while Near was rebuilding his replica of the Tokyo skyline. Oh, and there was Mello's missing shoe.
An unknown emotion bubbled behind her eyes as she slowly shifted back, fists clenched at her sides. "What the hell is happening here---?" But she didn't even get to finish as her ears picked up on a promising conversation. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, turning halfway around. "Why is Light going to where Lawliet is? Damn," And with that, she stomped out of the room and into the one she had just left, glaring at the monitors, completely aware of the three who had abandoned their issues to follow her.
"Ryuuzaki... as I said on the phone..." Light began.
"Yes..." Lawliet drawled slightly, never letting his apathetic façade down.
"I might be Kira." Light stated quite blatantly. Kat was the epitome of calm as opposed to her successors whom both gave some sort of startled reaction. She saw Watari tapping quite a few buttons, the visual and audio where Lawliet was disappearing right now, no doubt.
All color drained from Soichiro Yagami's face as he bellowed out his protest to the theory (more like confession). "It can't be!! What are you saying, Light?!" He cried, shaking Raito's shoulders. "Have you lost it?! Please snap out of it, Light!!" He begged. Kat felt truly pitiful for the man, and how he was most likely ripping himself from the inside out with all the accusations being thrown at his son. "What's going on? Answer me!" He shouted.
"Dad... if Ryuuzaki is L, then he's unquestionably the best detective in the world." A murmur of 'the arse kissing git' was passed among Matt and Mello while Near nodded numbly. "If L has decided that I'm Kira, then I probably am." Light said; a tenor solemnity in his voice. Kat's ear twitched irritably, once more, all of her efforts went unnoticed. Did they not notice that if Watari and she were not there Lawliet would most likely be cranky enough to slam his foot into Light's face as soon as he thought Light was guilty?
"W-what are you saying, Light?!" Yagami-san asked.
"Yes, its true... in my mind, Light-kun is almost definitely Kira. And thus, I'll probably be questioning him soon." Lawliet stated, taking a sip of his tea but aiming his piercing eyes at the task force all the while. "Light-kun has extremely sharp insight and understands my way of thinking."
Kew just wished she was there, that way she could be looming over the task force, making a tense situation even worse with her domineering air and (as she had been informed previously) demonic like emerald eyes seemingly staring a whole through their souls.
"The people that FBI agent Raye Penber was investigating before he died... people that went to Aoyama on May 22nd... and the person that second Kira suspect Misa approached after coming to Tokyo... it all points to me. If I was in L's position, I would conclude that I'm Kira, too. This means... that while I have no consciousness of it, I might be Kira." Light explained.
"Lies!" K yearned to hiss, the blur over his shoulder was enough to spark her instincts. She would love to dig her claws into the little liar but she would most likely be thrown into a jail cell by the task force members. This only made the fantasy of getting her paws on Kira's throat more and more vivid. Stop! We are not what the filthy humans made us for! Just repress it all! She told herself, taking a deep breath, the rage that was bubbling in her eyes simmering down till it was just barely there. However, the thing line of fur on her tail would not go down, betraying her emotions.
"Light..." Yagami-san tried to plead, give some sense to his son.
"This 'shinigami' word left by the criminal who was controlled by Kira... the same word appeared in the second Kira's message, too. I don't believe in Shinigami, but thinking about that and then having the world's best detective say that I'm Kira... I'm starting to not even understand myself... I'm afraid... what if I'm losing my mind?" Light asked.
Kat could hear the ghost of the cackling behind Light, the blur bouncing up and down as the word 'shinigami' left Light's lips. Her own twisted into a snarl, canines glinting in the light.
"I may not be conscious of it, but maybe when I go to sleep another version of me comes out and does the killings..." Light suggested, that spark of mendacity in his eyes never waning down a bit.
"That did not happen." Lawliet pointed out, taking another sip of his tea and reaching over for a pocky box he had on the table, almost as if ignoring the severity of the situation.
"What do you mean, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked.
"There was actually about five days when we had cameras installed in your room." Lawliet stated.
"Cameras...?" Light asked. Oh! If cat was there---! Once more she had to push away the violent thoughts. If Kira was supposedly had the God-complex that she and Lawliet thought, than Light Yagami was not only a compulsive liar, he had a hero-complex, a severe superiority-complex, and over he must have obsessive compulsive disorder! What other reason would there be for him looking so "perfect" to those who cared not to look deeper.
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"Yes, you were sleeping normally at night..." Lawliet said flatly, for some reason getting the feeling that K was ripping her hair out of her head with the conversation they were having.
"You went that far... Ryuuzaki...?" Light asked grabbing the back of Lawliet's chair. "Then... during those five days I didn't act as a 'shinigami'...?" he confirmed.
"Right... there unfortunately was no activity... since criminals died even when you didn't gain any information on them... my conclusion was not that you weren't Kira, but that you made no mistakes to reveal yourself as Kira." Lawliet stated.
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"No mistakes as Kira, huh? That may be correct... but how...? What should I do...? So am I Kira, then? If I look at it objectively, it seems probable." Light wondered out loud.
"It can't be, Light... you're thinking too much..." Yagami-san attempted.
"I have to be honest... sometimes I think that some serious criminals should be killed... I think any person who thinks that way could become Kira..." Light continued. A small bout of growling began in the back of Kew's throat. (1)
"Light..." Yagami-san tried again to protest.
"It's true, Dad... and not just criminals. There are many people who deep inside, I think would be better off dead..." Light was getting on her last nerve, he had something up his sleeve and the constant cackling in the background just proved it.
"Light... that goes the same for me. I'm always thinking that some people should be dead. Most people are probably like that. But that doesn't mean you'd actually kill them, right?" Matsuda said, trying to at least be a part of the conversation. "The criminals died even when you had no information on them. The cameras proved that. We watched you for five days, you couldn't be Kira..."
And that was quickly becoming one of Kew's pet peeves. The task force seemed to rule out Light from the suspects list simply because he was Chief Yagami's son and they had a personal relationship with him, that was the one thing that usually differentiated a valid investigation from one that was simply, to put it in Mello's words: "Not gonna get anywhere."
"N...no." Aizawa objected. "During that time we were low on members and only watched him in the house. We figured that would be enough but... it's not like we watched him 24 hours a day. He was at school and left freely whenever he wanted... if he figured out he was being watched, then there could have been a way for him to do the killing when he left the house."
"I really don't like where this is going but... fine..." Lawliet decided. "Light Yagami will be restrained and placed under confinement for an undetermined amount of time."
And at that point, almost as if timed, Mello and K gave a hoot of approval. Lawliet most likely did like the fact that they were confining Light but was putting up a show for the task force.
"W-what...? But in that case..." Yagami-san stuttered.
"...If we're doing it, we're doing it right now. You will not be allowed to leave my sight before then." Lawliet said.
"Impossible... there's no way my son can be Kira... why should he..." Yagami-san protested.
"It's ok, Dad." Light cut him off.
"Light..."
"I'll do it. I want to. There's no way I'll be able to keep pursuing Kira if somewhere in my mind I suspect myself. I want to make this clear as soon as possible. This may take a while but it's probably the fastest way.
"But there hasto be some other way!" Yagami refuted, a strange puce tinge coloring his ears and face.
"No, this is the only way. But you have to agree not to let me out until you've determined for sure whether I'm Kira or not. No matter what I say, Ryuuzaki." Light said.
"I understand... but I can't even imagine how long it would take for my suspicion of you to dissipate. So be prepared for that." Lawliet warned, Kew rolled her eyes at that one, she sure did not care about the kid! Lawliet was just too good a person... "Yagami-san, can you some up with a reason why Light-kun will be away from home for a while? You'll need to."
"But this is all so sudden..." Yagami-san protested. "Why should my son be put in a cell and..."
"Give it up, Dad." Light interrupted again. "I need to do this for myself. And if I'm not Kira, I swear I'll catch the person who's caused this to happen to us, Dad. Kira needs information to do his killings... I'm certain of this fact. By being locked away and shut out from gaining information, I want to prove my innocence and chase after Kira."
"B-but what about college…?" Yagami-san attempted to come up with an excuse.
"At my level... I can miss a year or longer and still be fine, you know that, Dad. How about this as a reason? I'll call Mom and say that I've decided to live on my own with Misa, but my stubborn dad would be totally against it, so I'm going to be out of contact for a while. Then you just have to say something like 'I'm disowning that ungrateful son!'" Light recommended.
"Are you serious... Light?" Yagami-san finally asked.
"Yeah, by taking away my own freedom... I'll defeat the fear that Kira dwells within me." Raito said with finality. He was then handcuffed.
"Aizawa-san can you please proceed from this point? Kokoro will meet you there.
"Yeah..." Aizawa agreed and lead light out of the room. The blur following them.
K instinctively pushed the buttom she learned allowed Lawliet to hear her and said sarcastically, "Oh, yes Ryuuzaki, I am going to just be there and handle our suspect, you are going to be very fortunate if he gets to his cell without any scratch marks marring his skin." She ended the sentence in slightly accented French.
A/N: Hm, it's depressing, really. How the difference between hits and reviews is so big! Now, I do hope I am not harping about anything, but would it really hurt to leave a comment? At least let me know that my story is not complete crap? Even a "Update faster!" would brighten my days since that's saying you like the story. I am so close to scrapping the story like so many of my others or putting it on hiatus and just turning to editing stories for other people. But I'm not like that. –sighs- me and my restless need to type ideas. So, review!
Timekeeper101: Well, nee-chan, you were one of the only persons to review to the chappy so you get all of the credit. I hope you like this one!
White Alchemist Taya: Mmm, glad you reviewed!
(1) This is true, go one YouTube and type "Growling cat" it is down right scary and demonic!
For the Hell of it: BLOOPERS!
"Yeah, is it his fault your complete crap at playing video games?" Mello asked sarcastically, receiving a whack in the head with the controller, courtesy of the resident cat woman. Wait…WHAT?
"GOD DAMMIT! CUT!Kat! For god's sake! Why the hell are you wearing a cat woman cosplay suit! That is not suitable for children! Sheesh! Someone get all the minors off of the stage!" The director (a/n: me) yelled frantically, deadpanning when she saw Matt pull out a PSP. Kat's suit was a barely there top and bottom, better categorized as undergarments then anything else. But the Director was not sure there was enough fabric to fall into that category either.
"Hey!" Mello bellowed, pointing an accusing finger in the director's direction. "That means you too squirt!"
"What the hell?! Just because I'm as old as Near does not mean that I am short you midget!" The director then turned to Kat, fuming and pointing her finger at Kat. "And you! What the hell?! No where in the script does it say "'Kat was wearing a porno worthy suit of cat woman!' All the readers would have left in an instant! Except for a few…ahem, perverts."